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Central weight gain is a hallmark sign of insulin resistance. Even though not everyone who develops insulin resistance will also have central weight gain, approximately 85 to 90% will gain a significant amount of weight around their middle. This is why physicians are beginning to take out their tape measure during an annual physical exam, instead of just weighing their patients. Central weight gain is associated with elevated blood pressure, elevated triglyceride levels, low HDL or good cholesterol, high total and LDL or bad cholesterol, along with an increase risk of developing clots (increased fibrinogen levels).

Another hallmark sign of central weight gain is a tremendous increase in the amount of inflammation you have in your arteries. Central fat releases a tremendous amount of inflammatory products. Your highly sensitive C - reactive protein (hsCRP), which measures inflammation in your arteries and is a very good indicator of having a higher risk of a heart attack, can rise significantly. You can see why I am so concerned when a patient who comes into my office for their annual physical and is showing signs of an expanding waist size. All you have to do is take out a tape measure and measure 1 inch below your belly button and over the top of your hips. This is the best measurement for central abdominal fat. Women should become concerned when this gets above 32 to 33 inches and men should become concerned when it gets above 36 to 37 inches.

Thank you to Dr Ray Strand for allowing us to publish this information.